Tinitus and insomnia

try white noise in your phone or leave the radio on low. you can buy pillow radios. Try to get some exercise in the evening so that you are physically tired at night. Exercise will also lift your mood. i found over time that my tinnitus got better or more likely my brain was just learning to ignore it .

Also, see a neurologist . GPs know very little about this condition. The British Tinnitus Association ( think thats what they are called) have brilliant helpline. You can type in your problem and they come back almost immediately.

good luck!

I use an app on Android (iPhone has it too but I think they charge), the app I have been using for almost 4 years is called White Noise, it's a blue colored icon. It comes with many different sounds, like White Noise, Amazon Jungle, Beach Waves Crashing, Crisp Fire, etc. Some will help you more than others. The one I use is called VIOLET NOISE.

If you download White Noise Market, a gray icon, you can download other sounds and even upload sounds you've created.

I have a clamp phone holder that attaches to the top of my bed frame and I have my phone playing all night from there.

Also, for sleep, when I first got tinnitus, the sound seemed louder, I couldn't handle it. I'd take Ambien and like magic, it would make the noise go away, at least for the night. the first few months were great, I would get relief. Little by little, it starts working less and less.

I had to switch over to Ambien CR and that worked wonders. I would also take 0.5 Klonopin during the day (prescription called for two but I would only take 1). It helped me during the day too. If my noise was loud, it would help by not forcing my brain to focus on it and I could function normally. Sometimes it would reduce the noise, other times it would change how I reacted to the noise.

After over 3 years taking these pills, I weaned off and I don't take anything anymore, I only use the White Noise.

I have Tinnitus still 24/7 but for most of the day, it's pretty low that it doesn't bother me.

I do notice I get a hike when I eat a lot of salt,cheese and beer but it doesn't bother me anymore. I know that with time, the noise level will go back down.

I would recommend you don't take the Ambien daily, maybe only on very tough nights. Klonopin alone should help you relax and sleep and the White Noise app is very important.

I hope you feel better soon.

Phillip,

I had the same experience. When my Tinnitus started I couldn't sleep at all and I was in a state of total desperation. I tried various drugs which only gave me limited relief. In the end I more or less gave up and decided to try to accept the situation rather than try to cure it. My insomnia did eventually clear up completely. I still do have tinnitus but it really doesn't bother me any more. I think the biggest problem was caused by the fact that I panicked because I couldn't stop the noise. My brain has just got used to it now and I hardly notice it most of the time. I hope this might give you some relief from the worry.

I understand your concerns, sleep deprivation because of tinnitus is not very uncommon.

why don't you try some home remedies. Like essential oils, it will help you. though it is not proven science but in some cases it was quite effective.

Sorry to hear of your suffering. Been there, and I get it. Benzos, in particular Klonopin, seem to be the most effective medication for what you are struggling with, but long-term, all of us want, I think (I do) to habituate and deal naturally with it -- or find a medication, prescribed and/or OTC, or some combination thereof, with the greatest impact on the problem (tinnitus and insomnia) with the least side effects.

For me, Klonopin (0.5mg once per night) has been the go-to when the Tinnitus flares up, with stress, insomnia, diet, Cialis (I'm sixty, and that helps with the fun).I also have found a great App from ReSound, which is a hearing aid manufacturer, which focusses on Tinnitus and allows the user to tailor sounds or pick from pre-programmed sounds to generate background noise which soothes, by, for me at least, taking my focus away from the sounds in my head, and/or masking them.

Another non-drug benefit I have found is hearing aids, as they boost the higher-end sounds which seems to make the Tinnitus less salient. I have high frequency hearing loss, due to -- everything wild and fun in my youth -- and my Tinnitus is, I am told, sort of like a "ghost limb" where the brain, no longer getting external sounds above about 6,000 hz, has filled in that missing sound with the Tinnitus.The hearing aids I use also have a feature which plays a soothing, fractally generated "Zen" sound pattern which again takes focus away from the Tinnitus.

Tinnitus is a B..ch but there is much you can do to lessen its impact. I hope you get through the tough times, which we all have, and can get most of your life and its enjoyment back soon.

hi Philip,

If that can make you feel better, know that you are not alone. I just had my first sleepless night from tinnitus... 😦

Hi Phil,

Sorry for my late reply but I have only just registered on this Tinnitus Web Site.

I too have suffered from Chronic Insomnia since Mid Nov 2019. I used all possible Z sleeping tabs with on a 4 one 4 off regime but with no positive result of obtaining "natural" sleep.

I got put on a mix of Pregablin (anxiety cap) and Mertazipine (anxiety and on-coming depression from Insomnia but dioes not cause Tinnitus). I did get mild Tinnitus from the Pregablin but it was manageable and fell away if I reduced the dosage. I was then given 4mg of Diazipam nightly and suddenly my sleep returned. I am only one week into a recovery so I am still holding my breath that I will continue recovering!!

During my treatment by a Consultant Phychologist however I was prescribed Escitalapram and after 5 days of 5mg tabs had HORRENDOUS Tinnitus......my view is NEVER go on Escitalopram if you have any risk or history of Tinnitus. Good luck and I hope the above helps. Ken